How to leverage the men shoe market by increasing the ROI of the marketing strategy in Belgium by end 2018?

Details

Supervisors

Paque, Bernard

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion

Abstract

Purpose While it is well-known that women and men have different shopping behaviour, this research is an attempt to help the online fashion retailer Zalando to attract men customers through shoes while increasing the Return on Investment (ROI) of their marketing strategy in Belgium. This thesis gives indications about which marketing channel is to be used to maximize the acquisition number of male customers. Design/Methodology/Approach The research was conducted under an inductive approach and data were collected both internally and externally to the company. In a first time, the men market is analysed to then focus on the shoe market. Based on a qualitative and quantitative approach, hypotheses and assumptions developed along the research are tested. Findings What stands out of this thesis is that men customers appear to have better buying behaviour than women. Belgian customers are coupon affine and stay classical in their shoe style. Moreover, the marketing channel with the more weight in the customer journey to acquire customers is identified as display marketing. Practical implication It is essential for an e-retailer to acknowledge the specificities of the Belgian male customers to attract them better. Therefore, importance must be attached to local specificities. This information can help managers to take marketing decisions and know where to allocate budget, regarding brands and products but mostly regarding marketing channels, in order to maximize the Return on Investment and therefore the net margin. Originality/Value This is the first study analysing the Belgian online male market and its attraction to shoes. It links cultural and gender dimensions to practical findings expressed in online marketing KPIs.